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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · field · mark · snap · drill · straw · trunk · bat

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. drill — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. field — a subject
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. field — for sport
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. snap — to click
  23. field — farmland
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com